


Moonlight and Starlight

by CountDorku



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Accepts S5 in broad strokes but not the whole thing, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Marriage Proposal, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 5 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:42:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24395224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CountDorku/pseuds/CountDorku
Summary: The expanded Best Friends Squad returns from its travels in space to a changed Etheria, and Adora starts to think about her and Glimmer's future together.
Relationships: Adora & Bow & Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 34





	Moonlight and Starlight

The familiar shape of Etheria, moons shining like a beacon, loomed ahead of them as _Mara’s Gift_ brought them home.

“Look, there’s Brightmoon,” said Glimmer, pointing. “And that would put Mystacor… _there_.”

“The Fright Zone’s gone.” Adora seemed almost disappointed. “I suppose we have Scorpia and Perfuma to thank for that.”

Glimmer’s eyes darted to Adora’s face. “Are you all right, starlight? You sound…”

“It’s just…it’s weird to think that everyone’s been moving on with their lives while we’ve been out here. Frosta’s going to be all grown up. Mermista and Sea Hawk probably have _kids_ by now.” A mischievous grin flickered onto Adora’s face. “I wonder what else has changed. Swift Wind’s probably raising some foals to be revolutionary anarchists, your aunt’s probably hooked up with Huntara-”

Glimmer gave her a playful shove. “Very funny, Adora. I’ve told you, my aunt’s not interested in that stuff. Like Entrapta.”

“I dunno, moonlight, you saw how she looked at those robots-”

“You guys and your pet names,” scoffed Catra, who was stretched out on top of one of the warmer pieces of tech with the air of a sunbather. “It’s kind of embarrassing.”

Glimmer’s eyes twinkled mischievously as she said, “Is that so, wildcat?”

“I’m not sure you have any moral high ground on this one, kitten,” added Adora.

“Especially not after we spent all that time with the Star Siblings, tiger.” Starla had called Catra that, if Glimmer’s calculations were correct, at least fifteen times a day.

“All right, all right!” Catra’s hands came up in a gesture of surrender. “You guys use whatever nicknames you want.”

“I think we’ll take her up on that offer, won’t we, starlight?” said Glimmer, smirking.

“I think we will, moonlight,” replied Adora.

“I think I’m gonna puke,” grumbled Catra.

* * *

Salineas was recovering well.

Catra, sensing the possible awkwardness of meeting with Mermista after taking part in Hordak’s blitzkrieg, had opted to throw herself into the repair efforts as a sort of apology gesture. There wasn’t much left to do – six years was a long time – but Catra’s strength and agility made her a natural fit for certain tasks, and she was bounding up and down under-construction towers carrying tools and materials like she’d been born for it.

Mermista looked more or less like Adora remembered her, deadpan expression and all – perhaps a little more tired-looking, and she was wearing Sea Hawk’s red kerchief, but other than that, still the same old Mermista.

“Hi, Adora, Bow,” she said, her expression shifting into what, by Mermista standards, was a warm smile. “Hope you can, like, stay for a while; Sea Hawk’s taken Albie out on his first voyage, just around the harbour. He’s even promised not to show Albie his first ship fire.”

Adora’s forehead wrinkled. “Albie?”

“Our kid – Albatross.”

“Aren’t albatrosses usually bad luck for ships?” asked Bow.

“Only when they’re dead.” Mermista looked around. “Glimmer couldn’t make it?”

“She’s getting settled back in as Queen,” Bow told her.

Mermista studied Adora carefully, her eyes seeming to cut right through her – but in, like, a friendly way, or at least Adora hoped. “Speaking of…have you two traded anything yet? It’s been a while since the last big royal wedding.”

“Uh.” Adora’s eyes darted back and forth. “How did you know we were together? We didn’t make it official until space.”

“I saw you and Glimmer in the same room more than once, Adora? It was kinda obvious.”

“It wasn’t-” Adora caught Bow’s expression. “Yes, all right. No, we haven’t traded anything. I don’t really wear accessories, apart from this jacket, and it’s…”

“Yeah, you don’t need to justify not giving her that jacket.” Mermista looked at the battered garment like she was considering the best way to burn it. “Nearly six years in space and you couldn’t find a tailor?”

Just then, Sea Hawk burst into the room, a laughing three-year-old child balanced on his shoulders, and the topic changed, but the image of Mermista – sitting with a contented smile, her son playing with her kerchief – would stick with Adora for some time.

* * *

“We came as fast as we could, Adora,” said Bow as he stepped into Adora’s room, Catra at his heels.

It had been about a month since Salineas. They’d visited the former Fright Zone, now overgrown with new life, and met Scorpia and Perfuma’s daughter Blossom; they’d paid what respects they could muster to Hordak’s grave in Dryl; they’d extended Castaspella an invitation to attend the royal court, and then finally they’d returned to Brightmoon and gotten a room properly set up for Catra.

“Thanks, guys. This isn’t…an _emergency_ -emergency, but…”

“We don’t get emergency-emergencies any more, remember?” said Catra, smiling gently. “Sparkles outlawed them after the war. Closest we get is me losing my glasses or Bow’s choices in facial hair.”

“Hey!”

Almost unwillingly, Adora chuckled. “Okay. Thanks, Catra. I’ve just…I’ve been thinking about Mermista, and Perfuma, and Scorpia.”

“And Sea Hawk?” asked Bow.

“No, I left him out on purpose.”

Catra snorted.

“They’ve all been moving on, and I just feel like I’ve stagnated.” She gestured to her well-worn jacket and hastily modified Horde uniform. “I’ve been dressed like this since I defected. I’ve never worn jewellery, except as She-Ra. It’s…”

“Adora.” Catra laid a gentle hand on her friend’s shoulder; part of the jacket disintegrated. “You’re the least stagnant person I’ve ever met. You rebuilt _your entire life_ while I was busy being really mad things didn’t go exactly the way I wanted, and you’re having a panic attack over not getting a new jacket?”

“This is about more than just that, isn’t it?” said Bow. “It’s about Glimmer.”

“Is it that obvious?” Adora fried in their expressions. “Okay, fine. Yeah, it’s about Glimmer. She’s a queen, and I’m…sort of an honorary princess. I don’t want to embarrass her by trading her something bad as a proposal!”

“Adora, my dads traded socks,” said Bow. “It’s still a point of pride for them that every wash day, they pile up all of Lance’s socks and all of George’s socks and then bundle up one from each pile. It doesn’t matter what you use, as long as there’s love in it. And she’ll love you no matter what you use, you know that.”

After a few moments, Adora burst out laughing.

“Great, she’s finally snapped,” deadpanned Catra. “I’m surprised it took this long, really.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” managed Adora, a hand pressed to her side. “It’s just…six years ago I was stressing out about cosmic dictators and saving my closest friend and She-Ra being gone, and now I’m stressing out about _not wearing jewellery_.”

“And six years ago I thought squinting to see small details was normal,” Catra pointed out, flipping her glasses on to drive the point home. “You got this, Adora.”

* * *

Glimmer looked at Bow and said, “So do you know why Adora wanted us all here?”

“I don’t know offhand, but I can guess.” Bow rubbed at his freshly shaved chin. “She’s spent the last two days with Brightmoon’s tailors and jewellers, I guess she wants us to see her new look?”

“I _was_ wondering where she got to.” Glimmer smiled. “I’m gonna miss that jacket, though. It was with us through so much.”

The door swung open, and Adora stepped into the room.

Her new outfit was clearly based on the red and white she’d worn since the Horde, but with entirely new clothes. Its core was a pair of long white pants, leading down into well-made but understated leather boots, and a loose-fitted, short-sleeved white shirt; a splash of colour was added by a sleeveless, knee-length red coat, buttons and trim gleaming gold in the candlelight. Similar golden gleams marked out the buckle of her sword belt (a rather fetching winged sword design), as well as the hilt of the sword she was wearing and some decorations on its scabbard.

The part that Bow knew was the most significant, though, was the gleam at her wrists. Adora was wearing twin golden bracelets, each engraved with a word in the First One language. As she stepped towards Glimmer, she fiddled with one of them, and the clasp clicked as it slid off her wrist into her right hand.

“Your Majesty,” said Adora, dropping to one knee, raising the bracelet as if in tribute. “Would you do me the honour of accepting this?”

“Oh…” Glimmer’s eyes swam with tears. “Of course I will, Adora!”

Catra sat back, smirking, and muttered, “It’s about time.” She whipped out her glasses to better admire the bracelet on Glimmer’s wrist. “You guys know I’ve never been much of a reader, especially for dead languages; what’s this one say?”

“That one says ‘starlight’,” Adora said, smiling softly. “The one I’m keeping says ‘moonlight’.”

“So even if you guys are apart, you’re always with each other,” said Bow, his voice choked with emotion. “That’s so beautiful.”

“Dork,” said Catra, rolling her eyes, but she was smiling when she said it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I just wanted to write some cute fluff, so I did.
> 
> The nickname "starlight" is stolen wholesale from curiousscientistkae, whose work is very good and you should read it.
> 
> Special thanks to athetos144 and Say_Anything for beta reading!


End file.
